The EU says it is preparing for an influx of Afghans seeking asylum, whether or not people flee en masse from the new Taliban government, noting that millions are already displaced in neighbouring countries.
In an interview, Fabrice Leggeri, director-general of border agency Frontex, said the body was preparing for a possible surge, both through traditional routes such as from Turkey to Greece, and new routes such as via Belarus, which Brussels accuses of sending illegal migrants across the frontier.
He said Frontex is monitoring what’s going on inside Afghanistan itself, but also keeping an eye on Afghan communities in neighbouring states, listing Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
The EU has sought to reform its migration system after a crisis in 2015-2016, when more than a million people arrived, most crossing the Balkans on foot to reach northern Europe.
The EU is now better at returning migrants who do not have a valid asylum claim to their country of origin, Leggeri said.
As long as it is unsafe to send Afghans home, migrants from other countries may be tempted to pose as Afghans to gain entry. Leggeri said border guards were better now than six years ago at determining where people are from.
Afghan migration could become entangled in Europe’s dispute with Belarus, which the EU accuses of flying in migrants from the Middle East to send them illegally across the border, causing a 1,500% spike in irregular arrivals into Lithuania.
Minsk denies fostering illegal migration but says Europe must lift sanctions if it wants it to stop.
Discover more from LN247
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
